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" Growing up, I had body confidence issues, not really so much because of size but my skin color. I had trouble recognizing that the depth of my skin tone is really beautiful because whenever people referred to a beautiful black-skinned woman, you'd see Beyonce and Rihanna. "

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" There's not many models in the U.S. that have my depth - like, really dark skin - that are also plus size. Skin color has been one of those things we haven't really, really addressed on a large, widespread scale. "

Philomena Kwao

Color

Things

Skin

" It's refreshing to see plus women being treated as part of the fashion community as a whole and not just a separate piece or separate different thing. "

" By being present and being true, I believe that, in my own way, I am promoting diversity. "

" My hair is extremely dry and fragile, so moisture is key. I love black castor oil, shea butter, and lots of water. "

" I think that the plus-size industry has been great with size diversity, but it hasn't really been great for skin tone diversity. "

" When I finally discovered the 'Sports Illustrated' swimsuit issue, I browsed through archives and saw a picture of an incredibly stunning model, Damaris Lewis. Her images inspired me, and I imagined being in the magazine myself. Never in a million years did I dream it would actually happen. "

" If I'm feeling really, really crappy, it sounds so cliche, but if I wake up extra early in the morning and do some sort of physical activity, I usually feel a little bit better. Or I do other things that make me happy. "

" Torrid has given me an amazing opportunity. I can reach out to different girls and help them realize that they are beautiful, too. "

" We are all beautiful. "

Philomena Kwao

Beautiful

" I think, for so long, women of different sizes have been pigeonholed, and with every campaign, it's always an adaptation of making fashion but for plus sizes. Sometimes it's in a little bit of a negative way, and plus is always a little bit slow to be fashion forward. "

" If you call me 'fat,' it doesn't bother me because I just don't care. "

" I've inherited so much culture, beauty, and love, and I'm the perfect mix of Philomena. "

" Much noise has been about size diversity but not enough about skin tone diversity. It's time for this to change. "

" Put on your bikini, put on whatever you want to wear, and don't worry about what other people are saying. "

" I think that we need to allow words to be words. If my self-esteem and my self-worth linger on words that are used to describe me, then you have a problem in itself. "

" For me, diverse beauty is an affirmation of every single person in his or her own skin. "

" I want to use my voice to better health care for pregnant women. "

" As a woman of color and curve model, I never imagined when I started modeling that I would be featured in the pages of 'Sports Illustrated.' "

" The curvy community has really given me a voice because people want to see someone who looks like they do. They want to know their beauty is valid. "

Philomena Kwao

Community

Beauty

" In Ghana, most of the women I know do not identify as sexy, and the reason may be cultural. With imported beauty standards from the West, it seems that many African women feel they need to be fair and slim to be beautiful. "

" Health management is my passion, and I hope to further my career in that area in the future. "

" You can't say you're inclusive when you only have one plus-size, hourglass white model. "

" I think it's just that the fashion industry can only accept one thing at a time. It's like, 'OK, well, if we're going to add plus, then let's keep it hourglass and white.' "

" Women of all ethnicities, complexions, and sizes want to be able to wear makeup and nice clothes. No one wants to go out and feel like they're substandard or that there's only one mold that they don't fit. "

" There is beauty everywhere. But if I had to narrow it down, I absolutely adore Beyonce. She's the ultimate icon for me. I also love Naomi CampbelI, Jourdan Dunn, Joan Smalls, Daria Werbowy, and Genevieve Nnaji. "

Philomena Kwao

She

Ultimate

" Celebrate the things that make you individual and unique, and realize that there's no one in this world that looks like you. "

" I have to congratulate L'Oreal on its True Match foundation range. It's my go-to foundation, and I absolutely love it. "

" I hope to show people everywhere that you can be unapologetically you and still succeed. I also hope that by using more diverse models, brands can see that there is power in diversity, and not shy away from doing something new for fear of failure. The effects are bigger than just the fashion industry. "

" Fast fashion, whilst having increased the accessibility of stylish clothes for millions, has unfortunately resulted in many horrific practises, such as child labour, that exploit millions of people around the world in poorer, developing countries. This something that has to change, and we can all start by reflecting on where our clothes come from. "

" Before I went to boarding school, I had never read a fashion magazine. I grew up on a council estate in London, and fashion magazines were a luxury item that weren't even on my mind. The closest I got to a fashion magazine was my cousin's 'Top of the Pops' magazines, where we would learn the lyrics to every song and put posters on our walls. "